Search for new Kansas chancellor may be closed to public

(AP) — The Kansas Board of Regents hasn't approved how the process to replace University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little will proceed, but the search may be closed to the public.

Gray-Little was hired after a closed search, and the Regents are also conducting a closed search for the next president of Kansas State University.

Part of the reasoning for the private process is that candidates qualified to lead a large research institution like the University of Kansas likely hold leadership positions at other universities, and word that they're looking elsewhere could negatively affect them professionally or prevent them from applying altogether.

"The search for a public university president should not resemble the papal conclave," said Peters, who specializes in the First Amendment.

The Kansas Board of Regents has completed two other presidential searches at smaller schools in the past four years that were more transparent.